Bertha Franklin (below), manager of the Hacienda motel, told police that she shot and killed Cooke in self-defense because he had attacked her. The shooting was ultimately ruled a justifiable homicide. His funeral was held in Chicago at A.R Leak Funeral Home, where thousands of fans had lined up for over four city blocks to view his body. Cooke was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, Cal. Some posthumous releases followed, many of which became hits, including "A Change is Gonna Come”, an early protest song that is generally regarded as his greatest composition.